With European qualifying having soft-launched in March and the inter-confederation play-offs set to kick off this September, high-stakes qualifiers are firmly back in focus. The world’s teams are gearing up to go head-to-head in an attempt to secure a place at the next major tournament. Although qualification systems differ in size and challenge, they all serve the same purpose of identifying the best representations of football at global level.
Historically, the most successful countries have qualified automatically, with some gaining entry to a tournament through other means, such as a play-off. But over the years, the competition’s structure has shifted considerably, with many berths now available through a series of knock-out rounds. The system has also evolved in terms of how tie-breakers are applied. In most cases, the team that scores more goals over two legs in a tie will qualify. But in the case of a draw, other factors may come into play, such as away goal and extra time.
In the final round of Euro 2026 qualifiers, for example, the eight group winners will be joined by the top two runners-up from each of the confederation play-offs. However, the coexistence of Nations League qualifiers and Euro qualifiers raises some fairness concerns. As the BBC reports, if a national team plays in both competitions, it will be restricted to a maximum of eight games. That will mean less space for friendly matches — and, in some cases, the team could miss out on the opportunity to host a friendlies.